This second of two 1936 filmizations of the Ukrainian opera The Girl from Poltava was filmed in America and sung in Yiddish. The original score is retained, along with the basic plotline, in which a gorgeous young provincial girl is forced into a loveless but financially expedient marriage. Despite her wedding vows, Natalka (Thalia Sabanleeva) carries on a romance with Petro (Dimitri Creona), leading to heartbreak aplenty before the surprisingly happy ending. Critics of both films preferred the American version over the somewhat crude Russian production directed by E. Kavaleridze. Girl from Poltavka was co-directed by cult favorite Edgar Ulmer, who during this period was specializing in ethnically-oriented films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi